Mating Footwear

ABSTRACT

Footwear that includes correlated magnets of opposite polarity to releasably mate the pieces of footwear together.

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS

The inventions described below relate to the field of footwear that incorporates correlated magnets of opposite polarity to releasably mate the pieces of footwear together.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS

Individuals often wear sandals or flip-flops and discard them with little regard for storage. Each individual shoe can be easily misplaced or hard to locate when not properly stored. This results in the constant misplacing of one of the mates in a pair of sandals, resulting in frustration, lost time and loss of money due to having to replace an entire pair of sandals when only a single shoe is misplaced. Fasteners for mating shoes can be cumbersome and ineffective and are thus limited in their capacity to efficiently store pairs of shoes together. Consequently, there is a need for shoe mating devices and methods.

SUMMARY

The devices and methods described below provide for mating footwear to easily store and access the footwear. Each piece of footwear or shoe includes a magnet integrated within the sole of the shoe. Each pair of shoes contains coordinating magnets of opposite polarity. The magnet within each shoe attracts to the magnet in its mating shoe. Once mated, the shoes can be stored together for easy location at a later desired time. The mated shoes are pulled apart in order for the user to wear the shoes. The footwear can include sandals, flip-flops, athletic shoes, boots or any other footwear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a pair of sandals where each sandal includes a magnet within the sandal sole.

FIG. 2 is an exploded sectional view of a sandal and its component parts.

FIG. 3 illustrates a pair of mated sandals with the magnets contained within the outsole of the shoes.

FIG. 4 illustrates a pair of mated sandals with the magnets contained within the insole of the sandals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONS

FIG. 1 illustrates a pair of sandals 1 where each sandal includes a magnet 2 within the sandal sole 3. The pair of sandals includes a left and a right mated pair. Each left and right shoe contain a magnet pair, each magnet within each pair having an opposite or mismatched polarity. The magnet may be contained within any layer within the shoe sole.

FIG. 2 is an exploded sectional view of a sandal and its component parts. The figure illustrates the various layers within the shoe sole 3 where the magnet can be positioned. The magnet may be positioned in the bottom outsole layer 4, the midsole 5, or the insole 6. The outsole is the bottom most layer of the sole of the shoe that comes in contact directly with the ground. The outsole can be a continuous piece or made from an assembly of various parts. Magnets contained in the outsole come into direct contact with the ground. The magnets may alternatively be positioned in the top layer of the sole, or insole. The insole is the layer of the shoe directly beneath the foot. Alternatively, the magnets can be positioned within the midsole. The midsole is an optional layer present between the insole and the outsole of the shoe. The magnet may be positioned at any length along the sole of the shoe, and preferably the magnet on the second shoe is at a corresponding point along the second shoe.

FIG. 3 illustrates a pair of mated sandals with the magnets 2 contained within the outsole 4 of the shoes. The first shoe has a magnet within the outsole at any distance along the length of the outsole. The second shoe has a corresponding magnet within the outsole of the second shoe at any length of the outsole. The polarity of the magnet in the first shoe outsole is opposite to the polarity of the magnet in the second shoe outsole. When the first shoe outsole is aligned with the second shoe outsole, the magnets of opposite polarity attract and releasably mate the outsoles of the shoes together. The mated shoes result in a compact arrangement in that the outsole back-to-back configuration results in a single shoe footprint for easy storage.

FIG. 4 illustrates a pair of mated sandals with the magnets 2 contained within the insole 6 of the sandals. The first shoe has a magnet within the insole at any distance along the length of the insole. The second shoe has a corresponding magnet within the insole of the second shoe at any length of the insole. The polarity of the magnet in the first shoe is opposite to the polarity of the magnet in the send shoe insole. When the first shoe insole is aligned with the second shoe insole, the magnets of opposite poles attract and releasably mate the insoles of the shoes together. That is, the first magnet is disposed within the first shoe with polarity aligned in a first orientation relative to the structure of the first shoe, and the second magnet is disposed within the second shoe with its polarity aligned in a second orientation relative to the structure of the second shoe, where the second orientation is opposite the first orientation. The mated shoes do not create a single footprint but are releasably mated so that they can be stored together so that a user easily locates them.

The outsole is comprised of a waterproof and durable material in order to provide enough friction between the shoe and the ground. The outsole may also be etched with grooves in order to enhance friction. The insole is comprised of a shock absorbing material such as ethylene vinyl acetate or the like. The insole may also include anti-microbial additives in order to reduce the possibility of bacterial infections and shoe odor. The magnets may be comprised of iron, nickel, cobalt, or any other ceramic or ferrite material that produces a magnetic field. The magnet strength may be in the range of 100 Gauss and 3,700 Gauss. The magnets may be any shape within the sole.

In use, a user will remove both shoes and align the shoe soles together in order to engage the magnets. The shoe soles can be aligned either in an outsole-outsole configuration or alternatively an insole-insole configuration. Once paired, the shoes are stored together for ease of location and convenience. The user can also pull the shoes apart to disengage the magnets when desired to wear the shoes.

While the preferred embodiments of the devices and methods have been described in reference to the environment in which they were developed, they are merely illustrative of the principles of the inventions. The elements of the various embodiments may be incorporated into each of the other species to obtain the benefits of those elements in combination with such other species, and the various beneficial features may be employed in embodiments alone or in combination with each other. Other embodiments and configurations may be devised without departing from the spirit of the inventions and the scope of the appended claims. 

We claim:
 1. A shoe assembly comprising: a first shoe having a sole with a first magnet releasably attached within the sole; and a second shoe having a sole with a second magnet releasably attached within the sole; wherein the first magnet is disposed within the first shoe with polarity aligned in a first orientation relative to the structure of the first shoe, and the second magnet is disposed within the second shoe with its polarity aligned in a second orientation relative to the structure of the second shoe, where the second orientation is opposite the first orientation.
 2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the magnets in the first and second shoes are positioned within an outsole of the soles.
 3. The assembly if claim 1 where in the magnets in the first and second shoes are positioned within the insole of the soles. 